B. Morris Allen's Blog, page 15
March 31, 2019
Beginnings
“Beginnings are the hardest part”, my mother wrote on the flyleaf of a birthday gift book at some point in my late youth. I think that by then I’d begun to show a moderately serious interest in writing, but I was still in the phase where I sat around waiting for inspiration to strike. I did a lot of musing and blank page staring before I finally realized that that’s not how writing works. Now, I know it’s dedication and work that get things moving. I don’t know that my opening lines are that...
February 18, 2019
Beginnings 000 – The Test
It’s Saturday. A day for sleeping in, for pretending I’ve successfully played sick and avoided school, for luxuriating in having nothing to do. The sun is shining through the window, flickering shadows of new green leaves over the carpet and the clothes I didn’t put away last night. There’s a cardinal singing outside the window.
…
“Auld Lang Syne, Ch. 10”
NIAD 8
Published 26-Jan-2019
January 13, 2019
Laying my snowflakes on the table
The first and only worldcon I’ve been to was in Spokane, in 2015. There was a controversy at the con involving a group called the Sad Puppies, whose argument was that SFF had been taken over by an affirmative action mentality. The Sad Puppies (and their littermates the Rabid Puppies) lost the day, but some of the division apparently remains.
I never thought of any of this as in any way involving me, aside from as an individual Hugo voter. Recently, though, I’ve found that reference to some o...
January 10, 2019
Awards eligibility 2018
December 2, 2018
Curious Fictions
So, I’ve signed up for Curious Fictions – a newish way to publish reprints. If you’re curious, I’ll be publishing stories there from time to time, along with a little background from time to time. I started with “Start With Stones” – one of my favorite older stories. Come take a look!
November 25, 2017
Awards eligibility 2017
“Letters to Larry About Guns”, Disarm anthology – a near future epistolary story about gun control
“When Dooryards First in the Lilac Bloomed”, Lackington’s Spring 2017 – what aliens might have said to Walt Whitman
“Blush”, Capricious May 2017, Issue #7 – who are we without the masks we wear every day?
“Outburst”, Cast of Wonders podcast – family, youth, and perseverance on a broken orbital station
“Goatway Drug”, Hyperion and Theia, Vol. 1: Saturnalia – goats, ghosts...
August 21, 2017
Memory eclipses truth
I saw my first total solar eclipse in Madrid, when I was 6 or 7. It was at school, and we all gathered outside with our bits of exposed film to protect our eyes. It was impressive, and my memories are extremely clear.
Except that I looked it up, and there wasn’t a total eclipse in Madrid in the ’70s. There were a couple of partial eclipses, though perhaps not on quite the right schedule. I can’t explain it, but I remember.
My family is, at the least, well prepared. My wife and I now own a hou...
July 9, 2017
SFF markets that pay on acceptance
Some magazines pay the author when they accept a story; some pay only on publication; some are in between. From the writer’s perspective, payment on acceptance is obviously preferable. However, most markets don’t disclose their payment schedule up front. Therefore, below is a list of markets I know to pay on or near acceptance. Feel free to suggest others in the comments.
Pay on or near acceptance Metaphorosis Cast of Wonders Cirsova The Overcast GigaNotoSaurus Manawaker Studio Pay after a...July 1, 2017
Stories for patrons
Now it’s serious. Travel and work got in the way of the Patreon launch, I’m now geared up and ready to go. Every week, starting right now, there will be a full story and author’s note, or a novel chapter. Not too much, not too little. Just right, in fact. Take a look!
Become a Patron!April 30, 2017
Now on Patreon
So, I decided to try out Patreon as an author (in addition to the Patreon we run for Metaphorosis). I’ll be posting stories and chapters on a regular basis. Take a look!
